Flotsam and Jetsam
Flotsam and Jetsam were the moray eel minions of the sea witch Ursula and the secondary antagonists in Disney's 1989 animated feature film, The Little Mermaid. Background Flotsam and Jetsam speak in unison, finish each other's sentences, and entwine their bodies. The concept of their linkage is further heightened when their white eyes combine to form a single crystal ball, a portal through which Ursula can view the outside world. Ursula would remain in her lair, working from behind the scenes, and watching everything from the crystal ball. Physical appearance Flotsam and Jetsam are slender green moray eels. Their eyes are odd and notable: one is yellow, and the other is white. Specifically, Flotsam's left eye is yellow while his right eye is white. For Jetsam, it's the other way around. This is the only way to tell them apart. Personality The eels serve as Ursula's minions and spies, often sneaking around Atlantica, spotting out Ursula's next potential victim. They are excessively beloved by Ursula who refers to them as her own children. They are also incredibly intelligent and known to complete any of Ursula's tasks with complete success. Unlike most Disney Villain henchman who is portrayed as rather comical and bubbly compared to their boss, Flotsam and Jetsam are portrayed as dark and mysterious lackeys, matching well with Ursula's wickedness. Oddly enough, in the TV show that preceded the film chronologically, the eels are incompetent and meek creatures. It is unknown how they became evil and efficient beings. Appearances ''The Little Mermaid Flotsam and Jetsam are the first to notice Ariel's infatuation with the world above. Upon witnessing the mermaid fall in love with a human, Prince Eric, Ursula sends Flotsam and Jetsam to propose a deal to Ariel. In addition, in order to ensure that Ariel accepts the proposal, they also made sure they visited Ariel while she was in a grief-stricken state, specifically after King Triton destroyed her grotto in rage, and also flicked a remain of Eric's statue at Ariel in case she attempted to refuse. In making sure that Ursula wins the deal, Flotsam and Jetsam sabotage what would have been a successful kiss between Ariel and Eric. In the climax, Flotsam and Jetsam are accidentally killed by the trident when Ariel grabs Ursula's hair just as the sea witch fires a killing shot intended for Eric. Flotsam and Jetsam are notable for their efficiency (which is something not to take lightly; usually - especially in Disney movies - the henchmen are clumsy and botch up every plan). Until they were killed, they succeeded at every task Ursula gave them, and due to that, Ursula shocked that she killed her eels, sadly mourns for them, right before turning her attention and rage towards Ariel and Eric. In an original draft for the ending, they also tried to capture Ariel when she tried to escape, and when Ursula killed them, she barely seemed to notice. Trivia *To this date, the eels are often cited as Disney's darkest henchmen. *In one scene of the movie, when Ursula is telling them to keep an eye out on Ariel, one of them hits his head on the top, causing the other to look at him for a little bit. This might be known that they might be twins, in which it is unknown which of them is the older of the two. *Flotsam and Jetsam were briefly mentioned by Captain Hook in the ''Jake and the Never Land Pirates episode "The Sword and the Stone". *Flotsam and Jetsam are apparently the only wasssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss up everyoneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee henchmen from The Little Mermaid franchise to actually die at the end of their film. *Flotsam and Jetsam are the second Disney Villain henchmen to be voiced by the same person (Paddi Edwards); the first are Brutus and Nero (both voiced by Candy Candido) from The Rescuers. *Flotsam and Jetsam are unique among most Disney Villain minions, as they seem to be competent at everything they do (though in the TV show, they are considerably less competent). Though Diablo from Sleeping Beauty and Sour Bill from ''Wreck-It Ralph ''are shown to be equally competent. *Ursula's reaction to Flotsam and Jetsam's deaths, prompting her to attack Ariel and Eric, was probably inspired by a similar scene near the end of Sleeping Beauty where Maleficent attacks Prince Philip and the Three Good Fairies after the latter turn Diablo the raven to stone. *It is unknown on how Flotsam and Jetsam, who were portrayed as meek and incompetent in the TV series, became more deadly and intelligent in the original film; It is possible that after years of working with Ursula they became smarter and more competent and experienced. *The eels are named after the phrase flotsam and jetsam which means "useless or disregarded objects". This is interesting as they are shown to be quite useful and competent as henchmen. *During the scene where Flotsam and Jetsam wrap their tails around Eric, their positions are permanently swapped (as one can tell by looking at their eyes) when Sebastian and Flounder attack them. *Jetsam's left eye and Flotsam's right eye are yellow. Category:Characters Category:Main Characters Category:Villains Category:Deceased Characters Category:Males